Phantom Reigns

“I am Spartacus” was the cry from the field and the stands alike as Phantom Regiment, the underdog of the season, finally earned gold and surpassed Blue Devils at Drum Corps International’s World Class Final Championship.

With a score of 98.125, Phantom Regiment outranked Blue Devils by 0.025 points, one of the slimmest margins in DCI history. The Regiment’s only previous championship win was a tie with the Blue Devils in 1996.

In addition, the Regiment took home caption awards for overall general ensemble and percussion during the past three days’ world class championship events.  The Blue Devils scored 98.100 overall and earned caption awards for visual performance, best color guard, and brass.

“It has been a really amazing summer. Tonight’s result was really a product of all the hard work we did,” said Phantom Regiment mellophone Patrick Phillips. “It’s all about the crowd. It’s not about the judges.”

And win the crowd they did. As the Regiment marched onto the field, the color guard staggering along as slaves in chains, and the audience rose to their feet cheering.

“I like the Phantom better than anything,” said Evan Kleve, who, since aging out of the Bluecoats in 2002, hasn’t missed a DCI final championship since. “It’s the strongest performance I’ve seen in all these years.”

This was Phantom Regiment’s third season with its “Spartacus” program, which it presented in 1981 and 1982 and is inspired by the 1960 film starring Kirk Douglas.

"This was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had,” said Phantom Regiment assistant conductor Koji Mori. This was his first season participating in drum corps.

“I never imagined it would be like this,” he said.

The crowd watched the now familiar drama intently. Before the Roman general, played by Mori, could utter the film’s unforgettable line, individuals throughout the stands bellowed the words, “I am Spartacus!”

In a mad flourish, Mori plunged his spear into conductor Will Pitts and whipped around to lead the entire ensemble through its blasting coda as the audience screamed a standing ovation.

After their second performance of their winning show, Phantom members were visibly shaken, sobbing in elation and beaming at their triumph.

“Both corps were great,” said Myron Melnyk, who played baritone with the Devils in 1975. “Blue Devils lost by the slimmest of possible margins mathematically. They got beaten by a good corps. … In drum corps, sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t.”

Blue Devils executive director David Gibbs admitted some among his corps were disappointed, but that within a week, the pain would subside and the season would be remembered. While they had “put everything on the line,” this season would surely be remembered as “the best part of their lives,” he said. Saturday night marked the Devils’ second event of the entire summer in which they did not place first.  

“I’m proud of their amazing talent, hard work and dedication,” Gibbs said. “I told them that once they do their part at the competition, it’s out of their hands.”

“It was a good show. They deserve it,” said Ralph Nader, a snare with Blue Devils, about Regiment’s success. “I believe every corps deserves to win… At the end of the day it’s just a score.”

“It’s pretty surreal,” said Mark Teal, front ensemble instructor for Phantom Regiment, as he tried to summarize the feeling of victory. “With this corps, year after year, we’ve been close to winning, and to finally do it, with such a show, and such an amazing group of kids – it’s been the most amazing experience of my life.”